Optical Hardware Engineer, Foundry

Arcadia Science•Emeryville, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Arcadia Science is seeking an Optical Hardware Engineer to join their Foundry division. This division focuses on taking scientifically validated tools from research and productionizing them for broader use, with an initial focus on Raman spectroscopy. The role involves optimizing and scaling the AutoOpenRaman spectrometer, making it production-ready by improving its hardware, designing user-friendly software, and ensuring it's intuitive for life science researchers. The engineer will lead the hardware development, including optics, enclosure design, performance enhancements, and electronics integration, working closely with software engineers, assay developers, and scientists. The position also involves defining external deployment strategies and collaborating with partners.

Requirements

PhD or equivalent hands-on experience designing and building optical instruments (spectroscopy, microscopy, laser systems, or similar)
Familiarity with laser safety standards and experience designing enclosed laser systems
CAD proficiency
Experience with electronics integration at the level of specifying and wiring up stepper controllers, microcontrollers, or similar embedded systems
Experience partnering with software engineers to co-develop instrument control GUIs and user workflows that enable intuitive, reliable operation for scientific users
Ability to communicate with biologists and understand what actually matters for a life science instrument and a wide range of users
Experience taking optical hardware from prototype to a robust, usable state, with attention to the full user experience and future commercial scalability
Interest and participation in open-source hardware and science

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with Raman spectroscopy, either instrument development or hands-on use
Familiarity with µManager or similar microscopy control software
Experience with design for manufacturability and transitioning from prototype to small-scale production
Experience with relevant experimental workflows and sample preparation techniques

Responsibilities

Lead the design of AutoOpenRaman into a compact, integrated benchtop instrument
Design and prototype an enclosure that achieves Class 1 laser safety and that's manufacturable at scale
Consolidate the current electronics (stage controller, shutter, calibration light source, laser) into a single integrated system
Work with a software engineer to define the hardware–software interface and ensure the instrument behaves predictably under automated control
Define the bill of materials and assembly protocol for reproducible builds with an eye toward eventually scaling to 10- or 50-unit production runs
Engage vendors, fabrication shops, and laser safety review as needed